Legend of the Toa (Book 1) Chronicle of the Shadowed One
by BenjaminDJ
Summary: With dark forces pushing Matoran defenses backwards and backwards until the point of demise, the once-peaceful island of Mata Nui is facing its most dangerous trial yet. Will the destined Toa arrive, or will the island fall to the dark evil of Makuta?
1. Shadowed Illusions

**LEGEND OF THE TOA**

**Chronicle of the Shadowed One**

With dark forces pushing Matoran defenses backwards and backwards until the point of demise, the once-peaceful island of Mata Nui is facing its most dangerous trial yet. The only thing keeping the Matoran fighting for their lives is their faith in the arrival of six brave warriors, called Toa, but their Turaga leaders have finally become uncertain... and one Matoran is making sure the Toa never arrive.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Desperately pushing branches aside in his desperate run for his life, Takua the Chronicler stumbled on a rock and fell mask-first onto the leaf-covered ground of Le-Wahi. He turned around to see nothing, however, he knew his attacker was out there, waiting for him to make another stupid move which mean the Matoran's end.

A pair of glowing poison-green eyes appeared in the darkness. Takua crawled backwards, knowing there was no hope. After all, there had been no hope for a long time now.

Breathing in a deep breath, Takua stood up, picking up the longest stick he could find on the ground.

"Come out, you beast! You can't hide forever!" Takua yelled, trying to sound more confident than he was.

The eyes disappeared, and for a brief moment, Takua felt that the beast following him had left. But then, it sprang at him, sharp rotting fangs desperately searching for Matoran armour to gnaw on. The Chronicler had to force every working in his body to not run for his life, and instead, engage the enemy. He stepped to his left, bringing the long stick above his head, and then smashing it down onto the beast's skull. It's jaw hit the ground with a loud crunch, and Takua took a step backwards to prepare himself for more attacks.

The beast that had attacked Takua was a Rahi, which usually lived in peace with the Matoran that inhabited the island of Mata Nui. But ever since the Makuta shadows had arrived, the Rahi had been enslaved by wearing infected Kanohi masks. This Rahi was a Nui-Jaga, a scorpion-like creature which had great powerful jaws and also a fire-launching stinging tail. The Nui-Jaga twitched, and Takua slammed the stick against the Rahi's skull yet again. It lay there motionless, but Takua knew that it wasn't dead by the glowing heartlight on its chest.

Takua wasn't a cruel Ta-Matoran. He could have easily killed the Rahi, but instead, he grabbed the infected mask and pulled it free of the Nui-Jaga's face. It stopped retaliating and rested there. Takua flung himself away and landed on the ground. Slowly, the Nui-Jaga stood up and stared at Takua. Gulping, the Ta-Matoran wasn't sure whether the Rahi would attack him or try to kill him again. Instead, the Nui-Jaga lent the Ta-Matoran his left claw, which Takua grabbed to get to his feet. The Rahi bowed before turning around and crawling out of sight.

Takua puffed out his chestplate, proud of himself. As he was about to turn around and go back to his home village, a friendly voice stopped him from leaving.

"Hello, Takua."

The Ta-Matoran turned around, smiling. "Nice to see you, Kongu."

Takua's friend stood at the front of a little group of Le-Matoran. He wore a greenish-blue Kanohi mask and bright lime green armour. He wielded a small axe, which was actually a sharpened piece of metal tied to a long stick. The only other Le-Matoran Takua knew was Tamaru, the one standing to Kongu's right.

"We saw you deal with that Nui-Jaga. Very impressive!" Kongu said.

"... For a Chronicler," one of the Le-Matoran muttered.

Takua ignored him. "So you guys would have let me die instead of getting your green-butts scratched?"

"Of course not, but you seemed to be handling yourself perfectly," Kongu replied.

"Well, I must be getting back to Ta-Koro, so if you don't mind, I'll be going," Takua said, turning around, but then a Le-Matoran appeared in front of him, blocking his path.

"Actually, Takua, we _do _mind," Kongu replied. "You're coming with us."

The last thing Takua saw before everything went black was Kongu ramming the hilt of his stick-axe into the space between the Ta-Matoran's optics.

When Takua woke up, he was tied to a bambu chair inside a leaf dome. He could be in Le-Koro, Ga-Koro, or Ga-Wahi, and being that unsure made the Chronicler nervous.

"Hello?" Takua shouted. "Kongu!"

The leaf dome's entrance opened, and Kongu and the Onu-Matoran called Nuparu (an engineer) walked inside.

"Welcome to Le-Mangaia, Takua," Kongu said.

"What? Le-Mangaia? Don't you mean...?"

"No, I don't. Now, you're here becuase you have lots of information that is very valuable to us about the To - I mean, the Makuta. Tell us everything you know that we don't!" Kongu said.

"You're insane, Le-Matoran! All of the villages of Mata Nui know the exact same about the Makuta! They're evil, they've infected the Rahi of the island, and they want to kill us all! That's all there is to know," Takua yelled.

Kongu clenched his fist and punched Takua in the mask. The chair fell over and Takua's head hit the hard surface. Kongu then kicked Takua' head, sending teh chair back upright. Takua breathed slowly, his head hanging low. Kongu grabbed him by the mask and stared him in the optic, saying: "Tell me what you know, Takua..."

Takua sneered. "If I knew anything else, I wouldn't tell you."

"So be it."

Kongu tightened his grib on Takua's mask and ripped it off of his face. Takua began breathing heavily, as know Matoran or Turaga could live longer than two minutes without a Kanohi mask. Everything went blurry. Kongu and Nuparu approached a machine towards Takua's naked face, and it plugged into the socket where Kanohi masks were meant to be clipped onto. Suddenly, unbearable pain surged through Takua's head and body. He screamed, and shook his body violently. Finally, he wriggled his wrists free of the rope they were tied by and he ripped the machine from his face.

Instead of being in the so-called Le-Mangaia, he was inside the Mangaia Lair, home of the Makuta. Infected Tarakava had been simulating a dream which would have been going on, yet with a dark machine that had something attached to Takua's face and also his heartlight. Takua had ripped off the wires attached to his face, and could find himself suffocating again. The infected Tarakava Rahi were now angry. In shock, the Ta-Matoran ripped off the infected Kanohi from the first and slammed it into the skull of the other. As they were distracted, Takua ripped out the glowing wire attached to his heartlight and found his Kanohi mask on the ground. He picked it up and placed it on his face. It glowed and re-moulded itself to fit his face. The distracted Tarakava finally regained lucidity, but Takua was too quick. He grabbed the wire that had been plugged into his heartlight and shoved it into the Rahi's optic. It roared in pain and confusion, and Takua made a run for it. He found an exit, but it was a long way above him.

Suddenly the Tarakava was rigth behind him. The wire was still inside its optic. Takua leapt onto it and swung himself onto the Rahi's head as agile as a Le-Matoran, and with as much strength as he could gather, he leapt onto the side of the tunnel in the roof, and then bounced higher until his hands reached the exit. Pulling himself onto land, Takua panted in disbelief.

He started laughing. "I did it! I did it..."

As he got up, Takua noticed that a large crab was approaching him. He smiled, got up, and mounted the Rahi crab.

"It's been a long time, Pewkuu! Come on," Takua said, patting the crab's shell. "To Ta-Koro!"


	2. Return of the Chronicler

**LEGEND OF THE TOA**

**Chronicle of the Shadowed One**

With dark forces pushing Matoran defenses backwards and backwards until the point of demise, the once-peaceful island of Mata Nui is facing its most dangerous trial yet. The only thing keeping the Matoran fighting for their lives is their faith in the arrival of six brave warriors, called Toa, but their Turaga leaders have finally become uncertain... and one Matoran is making sure the Toa never arrive.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Open the gates! Takua the Chronicler is back!" Kapura yelled, then blowing his horn.

Kapura was a black-masked Ta-Matoran, and the second-in-command of the Ta-Koro Guards. He was one of Takua's many friends, and had also been Takua's mentor when the Chronicler had been training to be a Guard himself. Just when he had been about to pass the test, Turaga Vakama made him the Chronicler instead.

Takua smiled and waved at Kapura as he entered the village. The only way you could get in was being allowed by the Guards, who would then blow a horn and small magma islands, which were floating in the lava surrounding Ta-Koro, would come together and form a bridge. After the bridge was formed, the village gates would open.

As Takua, riding his Rahi pet Pewkuu the crab, entered his home village, he received a round of applause from the Matoran there. He waved at their cheers, though not knowing what he had done to make them so pleased. He had not told anyone about his encounter in Mangaia with the Tarakava.

The crowd of Ta-Matoran stepped to one side to form a path. Walking in the path was Turaga Vakama, elder and leader of Ta-Koro. He had grown old and used his Fire Staff to help him keep upright. Behind the Turaga was Jaller, Captain of the Guards and Takua's best friend. Takua waved, but Jaller gave him an embarrassed look telling the Chronicler to stop at once.

"Brave Chronicler, at last you have returned!" Turaga Vakama spoke with a proud voice.

"Yes, Turaga Vakama, I'm back!" Takua said, and turned around lifting his arms into the air. The Ta-Matoran crowd went wild with cheers.

"Silence!" Jaller roared, and the crowd calmed down, except for one female Ta-Matoran who shouted: "I love you, Takua!"

Takua blew a kiss in the Matoran's direction, but then Jaller knocked on the Chronicler's mask with the hilt of his staff.

"Do you have the Mask, Chronicler?" Turaga Vakama asked.

"What Mask?"

"The one you were sent out to retrieve, Chronicler..." Turaga Vakama sighed, shaking his head. "Please do not tell me that you just went exploring again!"

"Actually, Turaga, I _can _tell you that I didn't go exploring because, truth is, I was captured by infected Rahi and taken to Mangaia, lair of the Makuta, and some Tarakava were trying to pry information out of my head by implanting some sort of dream device in my circuits." Takua said.

"Do you really expect Turaga Vakama to believe that, Takua?" Jaller asked.

"Yes, I do!" Takua replied.

"Why?"

"Because it's true, Jaller!"

"So... If this is true, Chronicler, then you know where Mangaia is?" Turaga Vakama pondered.

"What are you saying, Turaga? That we send all of the Matoran to Mangaia and vanquish the Makuta ourselves? Turaga, you know that won't happen because the prophecy said that only the six Toa could defeat the master of shadows!" Takua said.

"What prophecy?" Jaller asked, stepping forward.

"Uh oh..." Takua gulped.

"What prophecy?!" the crowd of Ta-Matoran went wild again.

"Tell us, Takua!"

"Yeah, Chronicler, or I'll put another dream device in your thick head!"

"What's this prophecy, Takua?"

"SILENCE!" Turaga Vakama's booming voice silenced the inquisitive Matoran, and then he spoke in a more controlled voice, yet strict. "Takua, Jaller, come with me."

The great Turaga led the two Matoran to his quarters, where he keeps all of his interesting finds and even things only Takua knew of.

"Turaga Vakama, what's this prophecy? I thought the only one there was, was the one about six Toa arriving!" Jaller exclaimed.

"You are correct, Jaller. But Mata Nui has given us yet another prophecy. This time filling in some of the blanks. There are to be seven Toa. However, there has never been a seventh Toa before." Turaga Vakama explained.

"Wait? You mean there have been other Toa? So this means that the arrival of the six... I mean, seven... is more likely to happen as it has happened before!" Jaller leapt up and down with joy.

"Except there has never been a known seventh Toa, meaning that there will probably be six. The prophecy said that only the powers of the seventh Toa combined with the six destined ones will vanquish the Makuta." Turaga Vakama explained.

"So even if the six Toa arrive, we're still doomed?" Takua asked.

"Not just yet, Chronicler. I sent you on your mission to retrieve a Great Kanohi, a Mask which come show us the light even in the darkest of times and places. Without this Mask, Chronicler, we really are doomed." Turaga Vakama explained.

"Then we should go after it! We need to find this Kanohi, it may even be a clue to how we can find our seventh Toa, that is if he doesn't come with the other six." Jaller said.

"Jaller... he won't be coming with the other six. The prophecy said we must find him deep within our heartlights." Vakama said.

"By the name of Mata Nui, what does that even mean?" Takua asked.

"I... don't know..." Turaga Vakama solemnly dropped his head.

"Anyway, I'll organise a patrol of Guards to go hunt down this Great Kanohi and we'll find it almos-" Jaller said.

"No, Jaller. You and Takua alone will search for this Kanohi. You may take some others if you wish to bring them along with you, but few, and only from other villages. We don't want the other villages to think we want to keep all of the powers of this Kanohi for ourselves."

"You're right, Turaga Vakama." Jaller said, and then left. His head poked back inside, agitated. "Come on, Takua!"

"Coming!" the Chronicler raced after his friend. "Who are we bringing with us?"

"Onepu from Onu-Koro and Hahli from Ga-Koro. That alright?" Jaller asked.

"You're only bringing Hahli along because you love her!" Takua teased.

"That is not true, Chronicler! She's great at pinpointing locations and she's very fast, good for communicating with other Matoran if we need to. It's just a coincidence that we happen to get along so well." Jaller smiled.

Takua laughed but didn't reply. Instead his mind was clouded with dark thoughts.

_What did Turaga Vakama mean with the prophecy? Evern with this Kanohi, if we can't find the seventh Toa, we're still going to die!_


	3. Ga-Koro

**LEGEND OF THE TOA**

**Chronicle of the Shadowed One**

With dark forces pushing Matoran defenses backwards and backwards until the point of demise, the once-peaceful island of Mata Nui is facing its most dangerous trial yet. The only thing keeping the Matoran fighting for their lives is their faith in the arrival of six brave warriors, called Toa, but their Turaga leaders have finally become uncertain... and one Matoran is making sure the Toa never arrive.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Takua sighed with joy and calm, like he always did on his journeys to Ga-Koro. It was the home to a great waterfall, which was the birth of the longest river on the island of Mata Nui. All of the Ga-Matoran swam and played around here. Others worked inside their leaf domes, forging weapons or armour to protect themselves from Tarakava. Tarakava, like the ones Takua had faced in Mangaia, were mostly found in Ga-Koro, fighting the Ga-Matoran who desperately tried to defend their homes.

So far, the Ga-Matoran hadn't noticed the arrival of Takua and Jaller.

"Some security system they've got going on here!" Jaller said.

Just then, Jaller tripped a wire. Almost immediately a pile of leaves that was in front of the two Ta-Matoran exploded, revealing a complex contraption of dual missile launchers. Then, a radio folded above them, emitting a deafening sound. Takua and Jaller forced their audio receptors shut, and as the machine saw that they weren't leaving, the missiles fired, blasting boiling water and soggy seaweed and mud at the Ta-Matoran.

Once Takua had found the surfaca after being buried by dirt, he saw that Jaller was still struggling with the seaweed on his face. But that wasn't the problem. About ten or twenty Ga-Matoran stood there, pointing tridents at the Chronicler and soon at Jaller, because he too had freed himself from the tangle of seaweed.

"Hi there..." Takua tried to sound more confident than he was.

"I am Jaller, Captain of the Guards of Ta-K-"

"We know who you are!" a Ga-Matoran snapped, her commanding voice silencing the once-confident Jaller.

"H-Hahli?" Jaller asked, confused at the hostility coming from his friend.

"What are you doing here, Ta-Matoran?" Hahli snapped.

"We've come to inform Ga-Koro of a quest that Takua failed of completing by himself. We would be honoured if one of you -" Jaller started.

Coughing, Takua said: "Hahli."

Jaller gave Takua an enraged look before carrying on: "As I was saying, we would be-"

"Sorry, Jaller, but Ga-Koro doesn't have any Matoran to spare right now. We have our own problems, with the Tarakava and all." Hahli said.

"Still? I took two infected ones out single-handed on my own! In Mangaia lair!" Takua boasted.

"Yeah? Well we have to fight off twenty daily swarms of a hundred and one Tarakava! Think about that, Chronicler!" Hahli snapped.

"If we keep fighting, we will all be enemies, Hahli. You of all Matoran here should know that!" a croaky voice came from behind the Ga-Matoran.

Hahli turned around, looking ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, Turaga Nokama. It's just we have to deal with enough things lately, not including these two fools."

"They are no fools, Hahli. If they were, they wouldn't be Chronicler and Captain of the Guards." Nokama made herself visible. She was slighly taller than the Ga-Matoran and her shade of blue was paler. Like Vakama, she held herself upright with an elongated version of the Ga-Matoran's tridents.

"But-"

"No _butt_s, Hahli. You will travel with them, and Macku will take over your position while you are gone," Turaga Nokama said, and the turned to Takua. "Tell me, Chronicler, what is this quest you need to go on?"

"We need to find a Great Kanohi. It may give us a clue to the -" Takua started, but Jaller threw a pile of mud in his face.

"It may give us a clue to why Makuta is doing what he does." Jaller finished.

"Well then, you may take Onepu and Nuparu as well. They have come here to help us build our new Tarakava defenses. I'm sure Turaga Whenua won't mind." Turaga Nokama said, waving her hand to tell the two Onu-Matoran to come. The purple and orange-masked Matoran made their way over to Jaller and Takua, and they helped the two Ta-Matoran to their feet.

"Hahli, I trust you not to fall out with the Ta-Matoran fools." Nokama said. "Or you will not be getting your position back as Captain of the Ga-Koro Guards."

"Yes, Turaga Nokama." Hahli bowed her head.

"Then you may all leave. Make sure you find this Kanohi. I'm sure you will know when you've found it." the last part of Nokama's farewell was directed at Takua. Before the Ga-Matoran and their Turaga left, Takua gave Nokama a confused look, but she seemed to know what she was talking about.

"Weird..."

"Come on, Chronicler!" Hahli snapped, making Takua jump. "You going to stand their staring all day like a statue?"

"No, Turaga Hahli!" Takua snapped back.

Hahli took a step forward, but could think of no reason to continue with the quarrel. Takua and Jaller both laughed as Takua threw a handful of mud at the back of her mask, making her shake her head with an irritated moan.

Onepu looked at Nuparu, rolling his eyes: "This is going to be a long trip."


End file.
